A housewife from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul was awarded R$10,000 (~US$4,800) in damages for finding an unfurled condom inside a can of Knorr tomato paste.

"It was the most horrible thing that's ever happened to me," Cintia Mayerle said. "I think it will stay in my memory for a very long time."

Mayerle had already consumed some of the paste while preparing it for her family's dinner when she noticed the condom stuck to the bottom of the can. She sued Knorr's parent company, Unilever, and a ruling in her favor was announced yesterday.

Unilever attempted to get the case thrown out by claiming that the condom could not have made it into the can during the manufacturing process — which is automated — and demanded an expert witness testify on their behalf. They further asserted that Ms. Mayerle couldn't have suffered all that much if she's comfortable speaking to the press about the case.